July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Bellmont fights off JC (09/14/06)
JCHS girls soccer
Bellmont fights off JC (09/14/06)
By By RAY COONEY-
With just one win against Bellmont in the program's history, the Jay County girls soccer team had to be feeling good when it grabbed a 2-1 lead 15 minutes into the second half.
But the good feeling didn't last.
Bellmont's Squaws scored three times in a span of fewer than five minutes to grab the lead and went on to a 5-3 victory over the host Patriots Wednesday.
"They played well," said Bellmont coach John Sharpe. "That's probably the best Jay County team we've played.
"They did a good job. At 2-1, they looked good."
Jay County (3-3-1) fell short of its first victory against the Squaws since 2000 and second in school history. But the Patriots still played what was likely their best soccer of the season, especially over the first 60 minutes.
"Tonight was a victory as far as I'm concerned," said JCHS coach Sue Rager. "The girls really started to play well together. They were attacking the ball, moving around, talking to each other. We spent a lot of time down on their end of the field ...
"I think this is the best the girls have played all season. They were playing together as a unit - the defense, the midfielders and the strikers."
Bellmont (5-4-1) carried a 1-0 lead at the intermission, and the Patriots scored twice in the opening 15 minutes of the second half to take the lead. But the final 20 minutes belonged mostly to the Squaws, who took 17 of their 27 shots on goal after the break.
Junior Lauren McConnell (six shots) evened the score barely six minutes after Jay County took its lead. Bellmont worked the ball deep into the left corner where Valyssa Parrish (seven shots) then passed back to fellow senior Ashley Hammond. Hammond crossed the ball to McConnell on the right side, and she lofted a shot over Patriot goalie Abby Loy from about 25 yards out with 19:30 to go.
McConnell's score started a Bellmont outburst. Less than three minutes later Parrish charged down the left sideline again, this time sending the ball to Kristie Strickler behind the defense in the middle of the field.
Left one-on-one Loy tried to come out to stop Strickler, but the Squaw sophomore shot past her to the left corner to reclaim a 3-2 lead. Bellmont got another tally at the 14:44 mark when senior Danielle Lefler sent another shot over Loy's head from about 25 yards out.
Sharpe said the difference was "passing the ball. We moved the ball around and possessed the ball instead of just kicking and running ...
"They wouldn't hold the ball, pass it (in the first half). The more you move the ball around, the more chances you get. And it slows the game down and keeps it from going back to the defense all the time."
Parrish added her second goal of the game later, flying past Jennifer Logue on the right side. There were no other defenders in sight, and she chipped past Loy for a 5-2 lead with just 4:39 left on the clock.
Nicole Pfeifer picked up Jay County's last goal with 4:20 remaining for the final margin.
"We were having some defensive breakdowns," said Rager, whose team had 10 shots in the first half and just four in the second. "They're so fast on their passing that they just pass, pass, pass down the field and you can't just be a ball chaser. You've got to hustle down and be in your spot so that you can turn around and get that ball back again.
"There were a couple of times when (Loy) was left there by herself or with one defender and there were four red (jerseys). That makes it a little bit hard."
Parrish charged to the net for Bellmont's first score with 10 minutes to go in the opening half, slamming home a pass from Hammond.
Jay County evened the score nine minutes into the second half when Sara Garringer gained control of the ball in front of the net and pushed it past Squaw goalie Holly Sheets.
Garringer assisted on the Patriots' second score - it was her school-record 11th career assist, breaking the mark set by 2005 graduate Jamie Bruggeman - when she was fouled and took a quick free kick. The ball bounced off of Sheets and Brianne Wellman charged up the middle and knocked it into the back of the net for a 2-1 Jay County lead with 25:47 to go.[[In-content Ad]]
But the good feeling didn't last.
Bellmont's Squaws scored three times in a span of fewer than five minutes to grab the lead and went on to a 5-3 victory over the host Patriots Wednesday.
"They played well," said Bellmont coach John Sharpe. "That's probably the best Jay County team we've played.
"They did a good job. At 2-1, they looked good."
Jay County (3-3-1) fell short of its first victory against the Squaws since 2000 and second in school history. But the Patriots still played what was likely their best soccer of the season, especially over the first 60 minutes.
"Tonight was a victory as far as I'm concerned," said JCHS coach Sue Rager. "The girls really started to play well together. They were attacking the ball, moving around, talking to each other. We spent a lot of time down on their end of the field ...
"I think this is the best the girls have played all season. They were playing together as a unit - the defense, the midfielders and the strikers."
Bellmont (5-4-1) carried a 1-0 lead at the intermission, and the Patriots scored twice in the opening 15 minutes of the second half to take the lead. But the final 20 minutes belonged mostly to the Squaws, who took 17 of their 27 shots on goal after the break.
Junior Lauren McConnell (six shots) evened the score barely six minutes after Jay County took its lead. Bellmont worked the ball deep into the left corner where Valyssa Parrish (seven shots) then passed back to fellow senior Ashley Hammond. Hammond crossed the ball to McConnell on the right side, and she lofted a shot over Patriot goalie Abby Loy from about 25 yards out with 19:30 to go.
McConnell's score started a Bellmont outburst. Less than three minutes later Parrish charged down the left sideline again, this time sending the ball to Kristie Strickler behind the defense in the middle of the field.
Left one-on-one Loy tried to come out to stop Strickler, but the Squaw sophomore shot past her to the left corner to reclaim a 3-2 lead. Bellmont got another tally at the 14:44 mark when senior Danielle Lefler sent another shot over Loy's head from about 25 yards out.
Sharpe said the difference was "passing the ball. We moved the ball around and possessed the ball instead of just kicking and running ...
"They wouldn't hold the ball, pass it (in the first half). The more you move the ball around, the more chances you get. And it slows the game down and keeps it from going back to the defense all the time."
Parrish added her second goal of the game later, flying past Jennifer Logue on the right side. There were no other defenders in sight, and she chipped past Loy for a 5-2 lead with just 4:39 left on the clock.
Nicole Pfeifer picked up Jay County's last goal with 4:20 remaining for the final margin.
"We were having some defensive breakdowns," said Rager, whose team had 10 shots in the first half and just four in the second. "They're so fast on their passing that they just pass, pass, pass down the field and you can't just be a ball chaser. You've got to hustle down and be in your spot so that you can turn around and get that ball back again.
"There were a couple of times when (Loy) was left there by herself or with one defender and there were four red (jerseys). That makes it a little bit hard."
Parrish charged to the net for Bellmont's first score with 10 minutes to go in the opening half, slamming home a pass from Hammond.
Jay County evened the score nine minutes into the second half when Sara Garringer gained control of the ball in front of the net and pushed it past Squaw goalie Holly Sheets.
Garringer assisted on the Patriots' second score - it was her school-record 11th career assist, breaking the mark set by 2005 graduate Jamie Bruggeman - when she was fouled and took a quick free kick. The ball bounced off of Sheets and Brianne Wellman charged up the middle and knocked it into the back of the net for a 2-1 Jay County lead with 25:47 to go.[[In-content Ad]]
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